Keith and his Petropolis

Should you find yourself in the vicinity of Timog Avenue, Quezon City, please don’t forget to pass by Landsdale Arcade, a commercial building near Quezon Avenue. It is where Keith dela Cruz’s veterinary clinic is located.

Since graduating from college, Keith had been talking about his plan of having his own practice. After working for various companies in the Philippines and abroad, he finally realized his dream. In 2005, Petropolis Animal Clinic & Grooming Center officially opened its doors for business.

Keith is sharing his experience in putting up the clinic and how it is going now. Who knows, his experience might inspire those of us who are also considering to start their own business and have the freedom of being self-employed.

By the way, Keith, shown below with his mom in his new house in Antipolo, is also maintaining a Friendster account, where we got the photos we used here.

Here is Keith’s article:

‘My baby’

Hello, my dear IV-1 peps!

First off, let me tell you that I was really heartened and even got a bit emotional when I saw our website. Overwhelmed, too! Whew! Thanks to our untiring classmate, Lito Parungo, who initiated the setting up of this site.

He actually asked me to write something about my “baby”. I guess you already know what I am talking about here. It’s my animal clinic, of course. Yes, I still love pets to this day, and I am comparing my vet clinic to a baby because you also need to take care of it, always keep an eye on it for it to grow, grow, and grow.

It was in 2004 when I decided to end my stint with Swift-RFM, a company owned by the Concepcions, which produces prime grade chickens. Yours truly handled the company’s animal health department (diagnostic lab – for chickens, needless to say). My department was the one responsible for keeping all Swift chickens that we buy in groceries clean and disease-free. A huge business, indeed; imagine us producing almost 100 million broiler chickens per year, with almost 1 million breeders, at any given time. I owe the Concepcions a lot for the trust they gave me.

Petropolis was born on July 25, 2005. After conducting a feasibility study, I finally decided to open it a year after bidding goodbye to my life as a full-time employee.

Putting up such a business is no joke, but it has its rewards. For one, you don’t have to report to a boss (yippeee!). But more important, you get to keep what you earn. For instance, after being exhausted operating on a dog for C-section, it is comforting to know that the large chunk of the revenue you earn from it goes back to the business.

When venturing into business the most important thing is the starting capital. I was fortunate enough to have been able to save my earnings from the hard work I did in Dubai in 1989 up to the time I left Swift in 2004. A large part of my investment was spent on the clinic’s equipment and interior because I wanted it to be really different from the other animal clinics around. I guess it’s better to see it for yourselves, guys, to appreciate the fruit of my labor.

The clinic has been operating for almost two years now and I’m very thankful that it is doing well. Things may be a bit slower than expected but that’s how vet clinics get big, you just need to invest more money and time.

In the main, I can say that I don’t regret the decision to leave my 9-to-5 job and be on my own. If faced with the same dilemma today, I would still take the same decision. If ever you are planning to do the same, I would say do it now while we are still strong and able.

This is all for now and I hope that besides giving an update on me, I was able to give you an idea how it is to start and run a business. If you want to hear more, please come and visit my clinic when you find time. You are all most welcome to Petropolis!

How’s your “baby”? I cannot forget those days when we spent time swimming at YMCA Manila. Muntik pa akong malunod sa 10 feet, remember? Gone are those days and here you are. You have your own pet clinic. Congrats, pare ko! Keep it up. I hope seeing you all soon.